Winter 2016/2017 Plans?

So, with Fall officially upon us and temps dipping down into the 30s for most of us this weekend it seems like a good time to rev up the stoke machine.

Anyone have any interesting or exciting plans/goals for the season?

Personally, after a couple of trips to the Pacific NW last winter I've officially been bitten by the Western skiing bug.  Fortunately, I've got the frequent flyer miles to feed the habit for a bit, and I don't mind investing the travel time for a weekend of great skiing.  So, in addition to the usual handful of weekends at Whiteface and hopefully (snow willing) a couple of ADK BC day trips, I've got my eye on several Western weekend jaunts.  

Using a FF ticket on JetBlue I'll either hit Alta/Snowbird (via SLC) or Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows (via Reno/Tahoe) for a (maybe long) weekend.  When and where will depend on conditions and availability of FF tickets.

Using the Delta Skymiles I'll head back to Washington State.  It's amazing how much cheaper, mileage-wise, a ticket to Seattle is versus a ticket to other ski friendly airports.  A trip back to Crystal and some BC adventures there, and maybe try a different WA location for a second trip.

Tuckerman's in March or April will be something I'll try and work in as well.

My plan is to ski a hell of a lot more than last year

My Maxx Pass came in the mail today

Plan is to ski as much as possible, get my kids back to Platty at least 4 or 5 times, fill in a couple of the NY and VT hills I haven't been to before and get up to Whiteface more.... I don't get to whiteface enough.

Coach Z wrote

My plan is to ski a hell of a lot more than last year

My Maxx Pass came in the mail today

That's my plan, going to make a few trips to Winter Park, Copper & Steamboat

I think I am going to look for a place to rent for a month in CO. I am concerned about leaving the wife for a month though. She might be pretty angry about that.

Argh - from Farmers Almanac, this does not look good

Coach for the win!  

Think the NW this season that are here are getting the goods.  CO and Utah may not have the best years.

Well that map doesn't bode well for a Tahoe or Utah trip this winter.  If so I can just save those miles for a better year.  The map matches what some NW locals were hoping for....a good La Niña year.  They had a good winter out there last year, hope they get hammered this year.

For the NE, I wonder what 'mild and snowy' means.  Above average temps that still stay below freezing would actually be a good thing, no?  Sometimes frigid cold weather dries things out....

Quit my job on Wednesday... I have decided to take this Winter to find myself (something I should have done 25yrs ago after I finished high school).  

Damn! Big step, man! What was the job you quit? What are you thinking of getting into after your winter (/spring/summer) of fun?

JTG4eva! wrote

The map matches what some NW locals were hoping for....a good La Niña year.  

Initially the forecast out in the PNW was for a La Nina... it has since changed to more of a La Neutral... forecast for 11-12 was similar... if I recall correctly, we had a brutal January drought with a long period of Chinooks , along with 2ft +/- on closing day.

PeeTex wrote

Argh - from Farmers Almanac, this does not look good

Remember last year's map (that I just posted in the other thread 2 days ago)?



I wouldn't take that forecast as anything more than a guess.

mattchuck2 wrote

Damn! Big step, man! What was the job you quit?

Corporate IT Lackey... designing and delivering Data Driven Analytical Reporting solutions

mattchuck2 wrote

What are you thinking of getting into after your winter (/spring/summer) of fun?

Just finished my Wilderness EMT cert... want to get a job with a SAR/Fire crew.

2016/2017 for me:

Season will hopefully kick off in October or early November with a Whiteface toll road ski (or early surprise pow day in someplace that I can drive to, like Pico or West Virginia).

Then a normal November of short days and anticipation before I go to the World Cup race at Killington over the Thanksgiving weekend. In December, I'll do some PSIA stuff at Mount Snow, then I'll ski Gore, Whiteface, and start teaching at Plattekill over the holidays (when my Gore pass is blacked out).

In January, I was thinking of taking a trip out to visit my brother in Tahoe, but I'd like to see some early season snow before booking a ticket. Martin Luther King weekend at Plattekill, then the college skiing class that I teach starts up in late January.

In February, I'm usually teaching 4-5 days a week, on top of my regular job, and I might cut that down a bit this year (maybe taking a few days off to ski backcountry if the conditions are right, maybe just taking personal days to ski at fun mountains). Late February is the Köre Anderssen Tele race at Bromley, which is always a fun time.

In March, my college teaching duties end, the snowpack gets deeper, and I start to free up weekends for adventures. So, hopefully a few ADK BC trips to places I haven't been yet, and maybe a couple returns to some favorites (I'd like to do Dix again, but stay in the lean-to this time).

Also looking at an Epic Trip in late March. On the bucket list is a trip to Europe to ski, a classy Jackson Hole/Big Sky trip with woman, and a Powder Highway trip in British Columbia. Maybe I'll knock one of those off, or I'll just take a cheap trip to Utah, depending on how my bank account looks.

And then Spring skiing in April, and the normal trip to Tuck's in late April/early May. Then it's MTB and boat season again.

nepa wrote

mattchuck2 wrote

Damn! Big step, man! What was the job you quit?

Corporate IT Lackey... designing and delivering Data Driven Analytical Reporting solutions

Nice. I'm sure there will be plenty of those jobs around if you ever want to go back.

mattchuck2 wrote

What are you thinking of getting into after your winter (/spring/summer) of fun?

Just finished my Wilderness EMT cert... want to get a job with a SAR/Fire crew.

Nice. I have a buddy who just moved out your way to do exactly that.

Plans: If the gods cooperate, I'd like to ski both Lk Placid Loppet and the Craftsbury Marathon. I'd also like to check out some of the places I've written about / am in the process of writing about.  Dublin School and Windblown in NH come to mind.

Sounds like a plan.

Pumped you are back at Plattekill MC.

Dude we are counting on you!  

My home mountain is now Whiteface!!  

Quite the step up from Mountain Creek.